NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata (Ord, 1825)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Wilson's snipe (Gallinago delicata) is a small, stocky shorebird. The generic name Gallinago is Neo-Latin for a woodcock or snipe from Latin gallina, "hen" and the suffix -ago, "resembling". The specific name delicata is Latin for "dainty".
This species was considered to be a subspecies of the common snipe (G. gallinago) until 2003 when it was given its own species status, though not all authorities recognized this immediately. Wilson's snipe differs from the latter species in having a narrower white trailing edge to the wings, and eight pairs of tail feathers instead of the typical seven of the common snipe. Its common name commemorates the American ornithologist Alexander Wilson.
Wikipedia contributors, Wilson's snipe; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:08:27.037455+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gallinago delicata (Ord, 1825)
- Name authority
- (Ord, 1825)
- Common name
- Wilson's Snipe
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Gallinago
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyScolopacidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusGallinago Brisson, 1760
- speciesGallinago delicata (Ord, 1825)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Gallinago. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Common SnipeGallinago gallinago (Linnaeus, 1758) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Imperial SnipeGallinago imperialis P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1869 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Madagascar SnipeGallinago macrodactyla Bonaparte, 1839 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Swinhoe's SnipeGallinago megala Swinhoe, 1861 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Wood SnipeGallinago nemoricola Hodgson, 1836 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| African SnipeGallinago nigripennis Bonaparte, 1839 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Noble SnipeGallinago nobilis P. L. Sclater, 1856 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pantanal SnipeGallinago paraguaiae (Vieillot, 1816) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Solitary SnipeGallinago solitaria Hodgson, 1831 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Great SnipeGallinago media (Latham, 1787) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Magellanic SnipeGallinago magellanica (P. P. King, 1828) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Puna SnipeGallinago andina Taczanowski, 1875 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Capella gallinago delicata (Ord, 1825) (Ord, 1825) | synonym |
| Scolopax delicata Ord, 1825 Ord, 1825 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Middle America
North America
South America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=726048 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3F6V8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.